A Look at the Teacher Mentoring Program

The Waterloo/Cedar Falls Courier has a good article about the mentoring program new teachers participate in. The program is just one of the requirements new teachers have to go through before they even get a license. I just finished my first year teaching and think the state mandated program is helpful.

Iowa has one of the better programs in nation, in large part because of funding by the legislator...

Iowa is one of 16 states that require and finance mentoring for beginning teachers, according to Education Week's Quality Counts 2006 report. In five of those states, including Iowa, the program lasts at least two years. All but one of the remaining programs lasts a year.

Iowa spent $2.4 million when the program started in 2001-02, an amount that grew to $4.56 million this past year. While annual state funding for participation of a mentor and novice teacher has remained at $1,300, the categories of educators has expanded. Included are district and AEA teachers, guidance counselors and school librarians. In 2005-06, more than 3,000 first- and second-year teachers participated across the state.